Where the Heart is
by animefan0000012345
Summary: Where is it that I belong, or do i not belong anywhere at all? Am i to go where my Heart is, or am i to stay where fate has placed me? what if fate was wrong? what if she made a mistake? only to fix it later in my life? SesshomaruXRin
1. The Talk

**This is my first Sesshomaru and Rin Fanfic. I hope you like it, constructive critisim if apperciated, but please no flames! R&R**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, if I did, the last chapter of the manga would have been mindless Sesshomaru Rin fluff.**

I was awoken by the smell of warm, food. Keade, the old miko who had taken me in since I came to live here sat at the fire in the middle of our small hut. She moved the food from the flames, extinguishing them with a quick flick of her wrist that sent ashes from fires past into the very send to the fire to snuff out the flames, leaving only embers of a ounce bright flame. She swiftly placed a kettle of tea atop the small mound of ashes, so that it may warm over the dying embers of the extinguished fire.

Noticing that I was awake, Keade smiled at me from across the hut, and continued to dish out the breakfast which she had prepared. Handing me a bowl, she settled herself down against the opposite wall of the small room and regarded me with calculating eyes.

"Rin, today is your sixteenth birthday, is it not?" Keade asked me, obviously ready to make some point from that fact.

"Yes Keade-sama. What of it?" I didn't like where this was going. If my intuition was correct, then she would undoubtedly want to convince me to marry some young boy in the village. She was phenomenal in her attempts to force a normal human life on me. As if that's what I wanted.

"Young Woman at your age should start thinking about marriage, it won't belong until you are considered an old-maid." Keade Finished, stirring her rice soup, oblivious to my flinch at her words. An old-maid. Had time really passed that fast. It seemed only yesterday that I was traveling with Sesshomaru-sama, that is, until he left me here, under the old woman's request. She was convinced that I did not belong with demons. She told him that I needed to learn how to live in a human village so that I could make my choice someday, and he agreed. I was only eight at the time.

She told him that this was all so that I would be able to make a wise decision regarding where I wished to live. But what choice do I have, when will they leave it up to me. I have lived in this village for eight years. I have learned well enough what it is like to live with humans. They all say that this is where I belong. Is it? Where is it that I truly belong? Or do I belong nowhere at all.

Confused by my silence, Keade looked up at me from across the embers that she was warming the tea over, and regarded me with knowing eyes. She knew how I felt about Sesshomaru-sama, and my thoughts on staying here. She seemed to be dead set against me living with Sesshomaru-sama and Jaken, as I had when I was a young child.

"Rin, you are human." Keade stated, breaking the silence that hung in the air like a crushing weight. "You will age, and you will die. Sesshomaru will not. He will live, untouched by time, and he will watch you wither away, until time finally deals it's fatal blow. You will both suffer if you stay with him. You will grow to resent every fleeting moment, for it brings you closer to your death, and he will be destroyed by the sheer fact that, in the end, he could not save you from the one foe that threatens to harm you the most. Time….It is far better for you and him both if you move on now. Do not make the same mistake that I have watched others such as yourself make." Keade drawled, voicing all my fears at one time. We sat in silence, until Kagome ducked through the small opening to our hut.

"Sorry to barge in like this, but I need Rin to help me collect some herbs." Kagome rambled, glancing between Keade and myself, she could tell that something had happened, but she didn't quite know what.

"that is all right Kagome, Rin will be happy to help." She answered, her eyes never leaving mine. Shaking slightly, I stood and followed Kagome to the herb garden that grew a few miles from the village. Silently I set to work plucking herbs and tossing then into the basket that I had been given. Hours passed, and all the while, my mind kept spinning around what Keade had said to me back at the hut. Regardless of all that she's said, true or not, it was still possible to be happy as a human, living with demons, wasn't it? Perhaps Kagome would be a better judge in this area, having seen so much more of the world in her life regarding the relationship between humans and demons than either Keade or myself.

I looked at Kagome, who sat picking herbs no more than two feet away from me. She looked up at me and smiled. I quickly gazed down at my hands. I wanted to ask her, but I was afraid of the answer I might receive.

"Rin-chan, is something wrong?" She asked, eyeing me with suspicion, causing me to jump slightly at the sudden noise. She can always tell, when something is on my mind. Though, perhaps my unusual silence is what gave me away. Either way, I shook my head and pretend to focus on the bundle of grass clutched in my hands. With a sigh, she rose to her full height, balancing the basket of herbs on her hip, and looked down at me.

"Rin, I think we have enough boneset* for now, maybe we can take a break, Hm?" I nodded, hopping that she couldn't see into my basket. I have never been any good with herbs, they all look the same. So I just tossed random grasses that looked similar to the ones Kagome was picking in the basket and hoped that they were the right ones. We started walking down the trail that lead through Inuyasha's forest. As we came to the bone-eater's well, Kagome stopped and seated herself on the edge of the well's dilapidated wood. Not trusting it to stand our combined weight I settled myself in the grass and started plucking strands at random.

"Ya'know, I think that I heard Inuyasha say that Sesshomaru is going to be coming to visit you soon." Kagome mentioned, causing a sad smile to grace my lips. Perhaps she already knew what was on my mind, by the look I was receiving from her, I'd say that she _knew_ she's hit the nail on the head. Looking for the proper way to phrase my question, I remembered the stories that Kagome had told me about her family, and the world, beyond the well. Maybe she would understand.

"Do you ever miss it?" I asked, before I could change my mind.

"Hm? Miss what?" She asked, sounding completely caught off guard.

"Your world beyond the well." I asked, understanding flickered across her face as she nodded sadly, before smiling happily at me.

"Yes, but this is where I belong." She replied. Looking at her in confusion, I decided to ask the question that had been bothering me for a while now.

"How do you know? How do you know this is where you belong?" She seemed to have to take some time to think this over, but finally decided on an appropriate answer.

"Well, this is where I feel most like myself. Don't get me wrong. I love my family, but this is where my heart is. I guess that's how you know. Where ever your heart is, that's where you belong." she finished, looking very pleased with herself.

"But what if everyone is telling you that you belong somewhere else? What if you're the only one who believes that you belong where your heart is?" I murmured, remembering Keade's words from this morning.

"Is this about Sesshomaru?" She asked, although we both knew that she could answer that one herself. "Did Keade say something to you?"

"It's not just her!" I yelled, my fists colliding with the dirt. "It's everyone! Inuyasha, Sango, Miroku, Kohaku, Jaken, even Sesshomaru-sama! They all tell me that I belong with my own kind! And yet T\they all tell me that when the time comes, that _**I **_can chose with whom I wish to stay! But _**when?**_ When do I get to chose? I am Human. My time is so short compared to Sesshomaru-sama's. And the longer I stay here, the less time I'll have with him. I'm already sixteen! I was eight when he left. These visits from him are not enough. I need to be with him! While I still have time." I finished in a whisper. My eyes stung as I looked away from Kagome's stunned face. _'She must think I'm stupid.' _That was what I thought. The last thing I expected was for her arms to wrap around me I a vice like hug.

"Oh Rin!" She cried, tears leaking out of her eyes. "I had no idea!" we sat there for a moment, and when she felt that she had sufficed in squeezing the last bit of air from my lungs, she drew back and held me at arms length. "It doesn't matter what anyone says! You know where you belong. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise! It doesn't matter where fate placed you. Sometimes fate makes mistakes, only to right them later in a person's life!" She finished, tears still leaking from her eyes. It was then that I realized that I had been crying as well…perhaps sobbing was a more appropriate term to use. I felt foolish for getting so worked up over something so simple. But these emotions had been bottled up inside me for the past eight years and were finally able to come out. It felt good to share them with someone. Hiccupping, I wiped the sleeve of my kimono across my face to erase all proof of my embarrassing break down. Composing myself, I stood and helped Kagome up from the ground. As we made our way back to the village Kagome looked at me and smiled once more.

"I'll talk to Keade-sama tonight, Rin. I think it's time that you be allowed to make your decision." Smiling at Kagome, I nodded and turned my attention to the sky. Above the clouds was a small streak of sliver, that could only mean one thing.

"Guess Sesshomaru is here too, this is perfect, huh Rin?"

"Yeah, Perfect." I said breathlessly. If thing went my way, then I may be traveling with Sesshomaru-sama by this time the next day.

**Thank you for reading! The next chapter will be out soon, and will be longer! Thanks so much!**

**Ooohhhhh, look is that a button I see below? Wow, common, press it, you know you want to! If you do you get a kitty!**

**( =^_^=)**

"**Meow!"**


	2. The Decision

**Wow, not even up for one day and I already got 2 reviews! I would like to thank both Taraah36**** and ****stargate sam ****for being my first reviewers! Every chapter, I will post the name of my reviewers in the author note. **

**Disclaimer: Roses are red, Violets are blue, I don't own, You don't sue! Lol**

"Oi! Toad! Outta my way!" Inuyasha yelled, as he kicked poor Jaken aside so that he could help Kagome with the herbs. Face down in the dirt, Jaken mumbled something about no respect. With a laugh, I bend down to help my little friend off the ground. Looking up at me, Jaken took in a sharp breath of air.

"Rin! Is that really you? My, you have grown!" Jaken stated, in awe. It had been four years since I had last seen him and Sesshomaru-sama. Both had been quite busy with affairs concerning the western lands. It had apparently slipped their minds that four years to a human was a very long time, and that many things could change in a young woman's life in that time frame. With a laugh, I swept the little Kappa into my arms and squeezed the life out of him, although he had always been harsh to me, I had still missed him terribly in these last few years.

"R-Rin…can't…b-breathe!" He gasped, attempting to wriggle from my arms. With a sigh, I placed him back on his feet, although I was unable to stop a giant grin from spreading across my face.

"Sorry Jaken-sama, I'm just so happy to see you. It's been so long." For the fist time in months, I felt as if I was overflowing with joy. But that joy was quickly diminished when I saw that my lord was nowhere in sight. Glancing around, I saw no trace of him.

"Jaken-sama, where is Sesshomaru-sama?" I asked, praying that he was nearby.

"Ah, Mi'lord has sought out the old priestess woman. There was something he wanted to discuss with her. No doubt concerning your living arrangements now that you are of age. With the way you humans age, it won't be long till you look just like that old woman, neh?" Jaken asked, obviously meaning it as a joke.

"Heh, yeah. Say, Jaken-sama, how old are you?" I asked, hopping to change the subject, yet very curious as well. I'd never really had the opportunity to ask before. Now seemed like just as good of a time as any.

"Such a silly question. I am 3,236 years old." Jaken stated, sounding very pleased with himself. "Quite young if I do say so myself."

"And Sesshomaru-sama?" I asked, knowing very well that he would never tell me himself, but Jaken was another story. He loves to spout out random facts about our lord, and I loved to listen.

"Ah, yes, Sesshomaru-sama is about 500 years old. VERY, very young. In fact, he would still be considered a pup by MANY older and much more powerful demo-" Poor Jaken never got to finish his sentence, due to the fact that Sesshomaru-sama's foot now held his head securely in the dirt. While our lord, bore holes into the back of his head with an icy glare. Wow, stepped on twice, in the same day, and by two different people no less. Quickly suppressing a laugh, I stood to find Sesshomaru-sama looking at me from over the flattened Kappa. I had known for a long time that I was in love with this man. Though I'd never tell him that. Kami only knows what his reaction would be. No, as fate would have it, Sesshomaru-sama and I were doomed to never be. Even if he somehow did feel the same, it would just be as Keade said. I would die, he would blame himself. Studying his face, I noted how nothing about it had changed, the same angels, the same marking, the same golden eyes that glinted with some emotion that I could not decipher, as they gazed at me from under his fall of silver hair, perhaps the only thing about him that gave any hint toward his true age.

"Rin." He said in a voice that left me week at the knees. "It has been a long time."

"S-Sesshomaru-sama. I-" I stopped, not able to tell him that I wished to leave this village. Wished to leave with him. I don't know what it was, but I couldn't focus my thoughts enough to form a coherent sentence in my mind, much less to speak it aloud. Raising one perfect eyebrow, Sesshomaru regarded me with confusion, obviously wanting me to finish what I had to say. With a silent shake of my head, I let him know that it was nothing. The subject would be brought up sooner or later tonight anyway.

"Rin, there is something I need to discuss with you." Keade said, walking into my field of vision. With a nod, I followed her as she led me away from the group. When we were out of ear-shot, she spoke again.

"This is Sesshomaru's first visit in a while, is it not?" She asked, as we continued to walk. Not wanting to talk, I simply nodded. "You are no doubt happy that he has come." She stated, "But you must know that he is not here for his usual reasons. He has come to request that you make your choice." she finished, finally stopping her walk.

"M-my choice?" I asked, not fully comprehending that I would finally be allowed to decide for myself.

"Yes, the time has come for you to chose. You already know what my thoughts are on the subject. I merely wish for you to be happy." She finished in a sad whispered. It finally dawned on me how much she cared for me. To her I was like a daughter. And if truth be told, she was the closest thing I had to a mother. Bending slightly I hugged the old woman who had done so much for me, and whispered,

"I will be." Two silent tears slid down my checks as I wondered how long it would be till I saw her, or the rest of my friends in this village again. Or if I would see them at all.

As we turned and headed back to the hut, Keade informed me that Sesshomaru would let the others know that I would be making my decision. They would all be waiting for me to hear what I had chosen.

As we entered the hut, I noticed that everyone was seated in their own little corner of the room, with the exception of Inuyasha and Sesshomaru, who both leaned on the wall for support with their arms crossed. Walking to the center of the room, I noticed that all eyes were on me.

"Rin has made her decision," Keade stated, seating herself on the floor and pouring a cup of tea.

"And, what is it?" Jaken piped up, sounding nervous. I smiled, looking at the little green Kappa.

"I didn't know you cared so much Jaken-sama." I laughed, watching him cross his arms and mutter something about annoying children. "I'm surprised that you'd even have to ask. I wish to stay with you and Sesshomaru-sama." I said, watching both Jaken and Sesshomaru looking a little relieved, as if they really thought I might chose to remain here.

"That is, if you don't mind." I continued, watching Sesshomaru regard me with golden eyes.

"Do as you wish." He said, and left the hut. Smiling, I bowed to Keade, and the rest of my friends, and thanked them for taking care of me. Shippo along with Songo and Miroku's children cried and told me they'd miss me, the monk and demon-slayer, told me to visit. while Inuyasha merely scoffed and asked what I saw in his brother, I just smiled and hugged him as well as the rest of them, then turning to Kagome, she handed me a traveling bag.

"I packed your stuff while you were walking with Keade-sama." she laughed, hugging me for the second time that day. "I'm going to miss you!" She sighed Stepping back to stand with Inuyasha.

"I'll make sure to visit! Promise!" I smiled, and was about to say more when I heard Jaken's voice from outside.

"Let's go Rin! Don't keep Mi'lord waiting!" He chided. Smiling I picked up my bag and headed outside, but not before hearing Inuyasha mutter something about demons that small shouldn't have voices that loud and annoying. Laughing I caught up to Sesshomaru and Jaken, who had already fetched Ah-Un and were waiting by the path that lead away from the village toward the west. Strapping my things to Ah-Un's Back, I Looked at Sesshomaru and Inquired where it was we'd be traveling.

"To Sesshomaru-sama's Palace in the west, of course. Weren't you listening to a thing I said?" Jaken ranted, holding on to Ah-Un's rains.

"Hehe, sorry. I was lost I thought." with a sight, I climbed onto Ah-Un's back as Sesshomaru-sama took to the skies. And for the first time in so long, I felt whole again.

**Sorry that this and the last chapter were kinda dull, the story will get much better starting next Chapter, I just needed to get Rin out of the village and now I can finally start getting into the story line. Thank you again for reading this far! I hope you liked it!**

** Ooohhhhh, look, is that a button I see below?**

** Wow, common, press it, you know you want to! **

** If you do you get a kitty!**

** ( =^_^=)**

"**Meow!"**


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